As we move into the heat of the summer, we hope this newsletter finds you well and safe!

Here are a few updates on issues in Verdi. We assemble these from activities, County and City permit filings and meetings with people hoping to move into our community. If you find an issue the Verdi residents would like to hear about please send them our way.

Our last update invited everyone to a meeting put on by the City of Reno at Boomtown which was held Saturday May 21st. There were over 100 residents in attendance and the City has updated their email database with those present to receive updates. City Staff presented a basic area plan as it currently exists, explained the “sphere of influence” (what it allows and does not allow), and touched briefly on their internal role/process as development projects are presented. They set up “break out” groups for presentations including: Transportation, Public Safety, Water/Sewer and Schools. The forwarded email below is what has been provided as a recap. If you were unable to attend please feel free to email Barbara DiCianno at the email listed below should you like to be included on future City email updates.

Unfortunately the State water engineer did not make the meeting, which was obviously one of the greatest “of interest” items for our residents. Councilmember Jardon requested the State Water Engineer’s Office present information related to Verdi and water allocation. Representatives from the State Water Engineer’s office will make that presentation to City Council at the Wednesday, July 27 City Council meeting. The meeting begins at 10am and the item is J.4 on the agenda, entitled:

“Presentation regarding the allocation of water to various projects and the process the state uses to allocate and monitor water rights and groundwater supplies, including development proposals in the Verdi area”.

Another take away from this meeting by our County Commissioner Herman was that Verdi needs an active voice. Several requests have been submitted to “reinitiate” our Community Advisory Board (CAB). This item was discussed by the County Commissioners June 28th, where it was suggested to combine the existing West Truckee Meadows CAB with the inactive Verdi CAB… to have one CAB. The board item is to be represented August 9th to the commissioners where they will determine how many positions will be made available (two are being recommended), as well as particulars on procedures moving forward and details on submitting applications. We strongly believe this will assist in keeping Verdi in the loop on upcoming projects/plans in our community and provide a platform to address any concerns or issues that affect our residents. We will be sure to provide updates as this progresses

In speaking with the Developer of West Meadows Estates, it appears they anticipate to start grading by the end of this year, 2016. The water infrastructure extension is tentatively scheduled to begin in approximately two months. So big changes/construction forth coming.

There is a new owner of the Wells Manufacturing warehouses who is also going to be making significant improvements to the property starting in the next six months. He is a native Nevadan who graduated from UNR and resides in the area. The location has been approved through Washoe County to be used as a medical marijuana cultivation and extraction operation. No dispensary operations, retail sales or distribution of any kind will be conducted at the Verdi site. There will be minimal employees, no signage and traffic does not appear to be a concern. The buildings south side (facing the street) will be renovated and all entry locations removed. Product will be moved in unmarked vehicles. No large trucks involved. Unlike previous reports by others concerning a large “ground plume” moving from the building, no evidence of this has been found to date. The property will be thoroughly landscaped and re-shelled. All business will be conducted on the North East side of the property. The owner is extremely proactive and sensitive to our small town feel and seems to simply want to “fit in” to the area. As always, water is the biggest concern. They opted to not hook into TMWA’s water infrastructure and will be installing a large water tank behind the fencing to address State Fire code.

Lastly, Village 6 of Sommerset was presented at the July 11th Neighborhood Advisory Board. It appears this particular “Village” is going to be the most invasive to the Verdi Community as it will build out the back portion of the development( located on the Eastern hill above West Meadows). Access to the presentation documents for this project can be accessed your reference at the link to the calendar page of Reno.gov. This item is currently scheduled to be heard by the planning commission August 17th.

As always, should you have any questions, concerns or feedback feel free to contact us. Thank you!

For those who weren’t able to make it (or for those who were but enjoyed the presentations enough to look again), the presentations that were provided on May 21st are available below for download. They are also available on the City of Reno: Ward 5 website.

It’s time for our second park clean-up at Cabela’s adopted county park and your local gem, Crystal Peak, on Tuesday, June 14 from 9 to 11am. Please park in the lower lot by the river and ponds and we’ll do whatever chores and maintenance the county park ranger has organized for us. If you have an ATV/UTV and want to bring it to help haul debris, that would be great. Just email me by June 12 so I can let the park ranger know a couple days in advance how many of us will be there so he can have enough tools, bags, etc., for us.

For Cabela’s outfitters, you can either sign the sign-up sheet in the break room or just email me. Thanks and see you at our beautiful neighborhood park June 14. Feel free to share this with your neighbors and friends via email or social media.

Just a friendly reminder for the City of Reno’s – “Verdi Area Plan” meeting this Saturday, May 21, 2016 at 9:30am. The meeting will take place in one of Boomtown’s Conference Rooms.

Click the following link for a summary agenda of the items that will be covered. This meeting should present a lot of useful information and insight for our community. We very much hope to see you there!

Ward 5 Councilmember Neoma Jardon would like to invite you to a Verdi community meeting on Saturday, May 21, 2016, at Boomtown from 9:30a.m. to 1:30p.m. Representatives from the City of Reno and a number of other agencies will be there to present information on several topics related to development within the City of Reno and Verdi Sphere of Influence.
After an opening presentation on land use history and existing entitlements, there will be four breakout sessions on specific topics. They are:
1) Water/Sewer Service

2) Traffic/Roads

3) Public Safety

4) Schools
Each breakout session will last approximately 45 minutes, include time for questions and answers, and be repeated on the hour. This will allow attendees to participate
in more than one session.
DAY: Saturday, May 21, 2016

TIME: 9:30a.m. to 1:30p.m.

WHERE: Boomtown Reno, Verdi Meeting Room 2100 Garson Road, Verdi, NV
We hope you can join us for this informational meeting.
For more information about the meeting, please contact Claudia Hanson, Community Development Planning Manager, at hansonc@reno.gov.
As space is limited, please e-mail your RSVP to diciannob@reno.gov.

We were recently made aware of the following YouTube segment regarding a common and ongoing IRS scam. It is a good public service announcement from the OCDA’s office. It is an epidemic in the United States.

Many of you will remember the warehouse planned for across the street from Cabela’s, and the concerns about traffic. It looks like there have been some changes in the proposed warehouse’s design. From our friends at REreno:

The Frankenwarehouse proposed next to Cabela’s has been redesigned into a slightly smaller 4 Building Complex. The loading docks have been relocated into a central aisle, which will make 24 hour operations less offensive. Breaking up the buildings will slightly mitigate the “White Cliffs of Verdi” appearance from Old US 40 and the River Oaks subdivision.